Michael Beasley is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
With Khris Middleton sidelined for six months due to a torn hamstring, general manager John Hammond announced that the team acquired Beasley from the Houston Rockets in exchange for point guard Tyler Ennis. Beasley has one-year and $1.4 million left on his current deal, and Milwaukee, per The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, views him only as a placeholder:
With Milwaukee losing Khris Middleton for six months with torn hamstring, Beasley becomes a stop-gap forward for the season.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 22, 2016
At 6’9″, Beasley fits the Bucks’ positionless mold. He can play small forward or power forward, and Milwaukee won’t be above using him at shooting if and when the mood strikes. Beasley won’t come close to replacing Middleton’s defense, but he averaged 25.3 points per 36 minutes on 52.2 percent shooting (33.3 percent from deep) through 20 appearances in Houston last season. If he can get his three-point rate up a little bit as a spot-up shooter, he can help a great deal.
Beasley, however, isn’t assured of anything. The Bucks have last year’s 17th overall pick, Rashad Vaughn, on the depth chart. Since this season looks like it’ll be more about rebuilding and experimenting than contending for a playoff berth, head coach Jason Kidd may be more inclined to roll with the 20-year-old.
Vaughn made 70 appearances as a rookie, and while his three-point rate dipped below 30 percent, he profiles as a better shooter than Beasley. He hit 54 of his 141 attempted triples (38.3 percent) during his lone year at UNLV, and at 6’6″, he has displayed the quickness and commitment to stick with opposing 2s and 3s.
In fact, if there’s one good thing that comes out of Middleton’s absence, it’s the chance for Vaughn to come into his own. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, John Henson and Middleton have given them one of the most intriguing cores in the league long term. Being able to mention Vaugh in the same breath as them would be a huge deal as the Bucks look ahead to 2017-18 and beyond.
